Sky Arts’ Access All Arts Week returns today with a stellar new line up including Dame Darcey Bussell, Fleur East and George the Poet

Sky Arts’ Access All Arts Week, a free nationwide arts week for primary schools, returns for its fourth year this week, with over 20,000 teachers from almost 12,000 schools across the UK and Ireland already signed up to take part. In just 3 years, the initiative has already reached over 715,000 children.

Access All Arts Week is a free educational programme designed to help teachers bring the arts into classrooms and celebrate creative expression. Each year, Sky Arts collaborates with teachers, educational experts, and partner arts organisations to develop a brand-new range of free resources. Schools can choose from five modules — Marks, Images, Sounds, Moves, and Words — spanning 11 art forms, including poetry, music, drawing, and dance.

In May 2025 Access All Arts won the ‘Free Educational Resource’ category at the Education Resource Awards in Birmingham.

New live lessons for 2025

For the first time, this year’s programme will feature live lessons lead by some of the UK’s best creatives, including:

• Former ballerina & creator of DDMix Dame Darcey Bussell DBE leads the way with an energising movement workshop, teaching fun dance moves from all around in a global dance adventure.
• Singer, songwriter and broadcaster Fleur East brings the beats, teaching pupils the basics of rap and how to have fun with music.
•  Spoken-word artist and podcaster George the Poet guides students to craft their own poem about the library, using lyrical storytelling to explore a setting.
• Marvel comic book artist Will Sliney guides pupils step-by-step in his drawing masterclass, teaching them how to draw their very own superhero.
•  Oscar winning Wicked costumer designer Paul Tazewell talks about the inspiration behind his stunning Wicked costumes and sets a design challenge centered around nature.

The lessons, filmed at iconic locations including the Royal Academy of Dance, the Cartoon Museum in Soho, Hits Radio (part of the Bauer Media Group) and the Library in Willesden Green, will give pupils an insight into the creative world.

Access All Arts Week is available for free to all primary school teachers and children in the UK and Ireland, celebrating the arts and highlighting its importance in supporting the health and wellbeing of young people. The programme supports teachers with ready-made lesson plans, video content, and interactive activities, helping to make arts education more accessible.

Sky Arts’ Access All Arts Week starts today and runs until the end of the week. There’s still time to get involved –

find out more here: https://accessallarts.skyarts.uk/

Additional quotes:

Dame Darcey Bussell DBE said:

“Imagination and creativity through the arts is an essential part of learning and helps to create mentally sustainable young minds. Dance in particular can stimulate the child’s interest in all areas of the arts, as well as sports, and give them the confidence to explore their own creativity in other fields. These benefits should be enjoyed by every child which is why I am so excited to be a part of Sky Arts Access All Arts week with our DDMIX dance fitness master class"

Fleur East said:

“Being part of this incredible school’s arts initiative is such an honour. I’ve always believed in the power of creativity to inspire young people, and this project gives children a unique opportunity to express themselves. Music has the ability to break down barriers, and I’m excited to see how the children use their voices to create something special. I’m looking forward to seeing their work and spotting any future rappers out there!”

George the Poet said:

“I’m so grateful to have been part of this initiative, which taps into the creativity of our young people. The arts are a great way to bring learning to life, and I love making that happen through poetry. I hope that by teaching poetry as I know it, I can connect with the poets of the next generation. Looking forward to meeting you all and hearing the future in your words"

Will Sliney said:

“It’s never been more important to encourage art for kids than now. Inspiring kids to learn how to draw is one of the most powerful gifts we can give them. Drawing isn’t just about art—it’s about expression, imagination, and confidence. When a child picks up a pencil and starts to sketch, they begin to see the world through a creative lens, learning to communicate thoughts and feelings that words can’t always capture. I’m so I’m thrilled to be a part of Access All Arts Week. Hopefully we can help prove that drawing is a skill and not a talent, and that everyone can do it with a bit of practice.”

Phil Edgar-Jones, Director of Sky Arts, said:

“Access All Arts Week was launched in October 2021, following the lockdown, with the aim of helping children reconnect and highlighting the essential role the arts play in supporting their well-being. We are thrilled by the positive reception it has received from the teaching community, and now, four years later, the initiative continues to thrive as it embarks on its fourth week this June.”

Vanessa Woodard, Head of Partnerships, Sky Arts, said:

“Access All Arts has been a passion project for us all. Taking the time to talk to teachers and education providers during lockdown has proven invaluable, allowing us to design a programme that addresses specific needs within schools and offers teachers customised resources that genuinely work for them. The support and enthusiasm of our talented contributors and partners has also helped to elevate this initiative and we would like to thank everyone who has joined us on this journey.”

For more information, please contact: Lucy.Butterfield@sky.uk / Emma.Thomas@sky.uk

Access All Arts aims to provide teachers with the resources and inspiration to take their classes on a creative adventure throughout the school year, culminating in Access All Arts Week every June.

Teachers can access a full programme of free, ready-made learning materials exploring all artforms via a content-rich website, providing a hub of activities, video content and competitions brought together by Sky Arts and their partners.

Everything is completely free and open to all. Schools can also use the platform to connect with arts organisations and providers, making it easier than ever to bring creativity into the classroom.

Developed by an expert team of teachers and educationalists, teachers have access to five modules built around five forms of artistic expression each covering two or three artforms: Sounds (Singing and Instruments), Marks (2D, 3D and Digital Arts), Words (Poetry and Creative Writing), Images (Photography and Filmmaking) and Moves (Dance and Drama). Modules can be taught individually as a standalone teaching unit or joined together to form a longer programme, so that teachers can make the week their own.

Throughout the year, teachers can access the Access All Arts Resource Centre, featuring new and past materials from 2022, 2023, and 2024. The initiative also includes Creative Careers videos, showcasing careers in the arts through collaborations with organisations like Canva, National Portrait Gallery, National Youth Jazz Orchestra, New Adventures, and Flying Eye Media.

The initiative is created and run by Vanessa Woodard, Head of Partnerships, Sky Arts and activation agency We Are Futures.

Sky Arts exists to bring more art to more people across the UK. In 2020, with the creative industries under serious threat, we threw open our doors to make the channel free for everyone to watch. We’ve redoubled our mission to increase access to the arts and we’re committed to getting everyone involved as the industry moves from strength to strength. The fact is, we need the arts like never before, and Sky Arts brings them straight to your living room.

We have something for everyone, championing creative talent by showcasing the best in music, theatre, dance, literature, opera and visual art. From Glyndebourne to the Isle of Wight Festival and Botticelli to Barbara Kingsolver, we’ve got your passions covered. Millions of viewers tune in to hit returning series such as Portrait Artist of the Year, but our acclaimed new programmes might take you anywhere from the quiet calm of Hockney’s studio to headbanging with Black Sabbath.

Collaboration is at the heart of what we do. Sky Arts is the headline sponsor of National Theatre Live in the UK, and we work with cultural partners across the country including the English National Opera, Bristol Old Vic, Tate, Creative UK and the Crafts Council to name but a few.

You can watch Sky Arts for free on Freeview channel 36 and Freesat channel 147.  If you’ve got Sky or a Now TV entertainment pass, you can also watch over 2,000 hours of shows exclusively on demand.

We Are Futures are a unique agency with a powerful proposition: to build advocacy for brands amongst young people, through social impact.

For over 20 years, we’ve championed the power of brands to positively shape young people’s futures.

Since 2004, we’ve worked with 150 businesses and made a difference to over 40 million young people.

As the go-to agency for youth engagement, we’ve partnered with Sky since 2015, delivering innovative programmes like Sky Academy Studios and The Edit.